The Great Downpour

Chapter XXX

Chapter XXX

One year later

Vijay and Carmen opened a new branch of their antiques business in New Delhi, India. It is doing well.

Farhad’s proposal was rejected by Nazima’s parents as well as Nazima, who recently got married to a millionaire from Vancouver Canada. She is emigrating there soon.

Rati and Sandesh continue their “affair” and plan to take the plunge next year.

Sundeep is still single, but Bhairavi has her eye on him. Who knows, she might ask him the Big Question any day.

Chand and Seeta are just like pigeons in love, cooing sweet little nothings in each other’s ears all the time.

Pahelwan Ranjit Singh, Nishaanbaaz and the fifteen surviving dacoits were found guilty of robbery and cheating by the courts. They are all cooling their heels in Bhopal Central Prison. While the fifteen minnows are sentenced for five years rigorous imprisonment, Nishaanbaaz will do seven years and the Pahelwan, life imprisonment for murder in the first degree. Gangadin’s sensational disclosure of overhearing the conversation of Professor Peter Mathias with the dacoits helped sentence the professor to two years in prison for aiding and abetting the crime.

An effort was made last year to discover the exact location where Sandesh buried Father Anthony Mascarenhas’s earthly remains. The effort was unsuccessful. Ultimately, the local Chapter of the Roman Catholic Church and the Trustees of the St. Aloysius College decided to erect and install a bust of the beloved Principal who sacrificed his life for his students. The bust will be unveiled next to the main entrance of the college tomorrow on the occasion of the first death anniversary of the Father. All the members of the group led by Sandesh will also be attending. They too will be felicitated by the college for their acts of bravery.

Muhammad has found true love in the form of Suraiya, to whom he was introduced in a family function just over two months ago. They are very much the lovey-dovey birds and plan to formalize their marriage next year.
Yash has joined his father’s business and is keeping very busy earning his millions to find a girl for himself. However, girls are rooting for him everywhere, and he is sure to fall in love with the right girl one day.

Rising Water languishes in captivity in Bhopal Zoo, eating portions of beef and mutton served to him twice and sometimes thrice a day. His appetite for human meat is, as predicted by the Chief Minister last year, completely forgotten. Visitors to the zoo are entranced by his size and sheer magnificence.

Pench National Park continues to attract thousands of tourists all round the year except between 1st July and 30th November on account of the monsoon.


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